Welcome- I am so glad you're here! Bite-Size Business is a program created to help actors navigate the business in a way that is fun, empowering and educational.

Use the "Blog Topics" on the left to find hundreds of articles covering all areas of acting, or browse the archives for a title that sounds groovy. Feel free to leave a comment- and be sure to check each post to see if a comment was left.

And if you enjoy this blog...

• Subscribe (
• You can also share this article by clicking on an icon below.
Cheers!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

I saw this question posted on a popular forum for actors, and I wanted to repost the response I gave over there:

“What is the proper etiquette if my son is freelanced by a well known NY agency but he is not getting called, mostly gets things with open calls and does great. Actually he just writes the agency name on his resume but has gotten everything through open calls so far. (No appts). He wants another agency so do I tell the new one when being interviewed that he is with another or not? Also, how should you handle if called on the same audition by 2 different agencies? Thanks for any advice!”

Hi, there. This is a great question. As you know, if your son is only freelancing and not signed, he has the full freedom to work with additional agencies. When he starts working with an additional agency, both agencies (the new and old) should know that he has other agents working for him. And whichever agency calls you with the audition should receive the 10% commission when your son books the role.

If you haven't already, you may also want to express your concerns to the original agency and see if there is anything they can do. They need to know that the reason you are taking on an additional agent is because you are dissatisfied with the current results. A freelance relationship is not designed to be a permanent situation- it is usually a trial period for the agent and actor to get to know each other and decide if it is a good match. This means that at the end of a reasonable term, you should be able to choose to go on contract, or dissolve the partnership. Long term, having multiple agents can become problematic for exactly the reason you stated- if two agents are trying to push your son to the same casting director this can become a sticky situation.

I hope everything works out and your son gets the attention he deserves!

a) you don't change anything.
b) you don't use it to make money.
c) credit me (with my blog's name, and a link back to my site.)
d) it's not required, but it would be awesome if you'd email me to let me know you're using it, and then I can help promote your post!

If you are copying an article in its entirely, you MUST include the following acknowledgment at the top of the post: "This blog was pulled, in its entirety, from Bite-Size Business for Actors, a blog published by The Actors' Enterprise. To learn more, visit http://www.BiteSizeBusiness.org."

get this blog in your inbox

Enter Your Email:

erin cronican: founder / coach

Erin Cronican is a professional actor (AEA/SAG-AFTRA) and has been coaching on the business of acting since 2007. She is a columnist for Backstage magazine and is the Managing Director of The Seeing Place Theater, a critically acclaimed indie theater in NYC.